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Beatboxer, DJ | Deepen Shah
Our very own Jain beatboxer and DJ, Deepen Shah utilized his skills to drop beats and full songs. He’s been a heart-throb to many of the young ladies at YJA, and he’s become even sexier now that he carries around a guitar. Expect to see Deepen perform on his own and in collaboration with other artists.
To see Deepen and other artists perform at the Peace Jam, sign up for the evening social activities when registering for the Jaina conference.
Poet, Producer | Q-Boogie aka Da Poet
Chosen by Tavis Smiley (formerly of BET) to host the poetry section of the very first Youth to Leaders National Summit which aired on C-Span and performing for Russell Simmons personally at HBO Def Poetry Jam, Q-Boogie is a political activist that uses his words as his platform. He has helped form the Polygon Group, a music publishing & production company and is currently working on an upcoming mix tape with legendary DJ Green Lantern.
To see Q-Boogie and other artists perform at the Peace Jam, sign up for the evening social activities when registering for the Jaina conference.
Def Poet | George Watsky
2006 Youth Speaks Grand Slam Poetry Champion, George Watsky comes out swinging bare-knuckled on issues of politics, class hierarchies, and schoolyard etiquette. He has written a 70 page book entitled Undisputed Backtalk Champion is his bold step into unspoken word.
To see George and other artists perform at the Peace Jam, sign up for the evening social activities when registering for the Jaina conference.
Def Poet | Flowmentalz
Master of Personification, Dubber of Duct Tape Poetry, An all around Cool Frickin’ Guy. Flowmentalz appeared on multiple seasons of HBOs Russell Simmons presents Def Poetry.
To see Flowmentalz and other artists perform at the Peace Jam, sign up for the evening social activities when registering for the Jaina conference.
Def Poet | Gemineye
Christopher Kuretich a.k.a. Gemineye has taken the poetry world by storm! A 2002 finalist at the world renowned Nuyorican Poets Café in New York, a 2002 finalist at Serengeti Plains in New Jersey- he would soon hold the title of Grand Slam Champion in New Jersey and become a member of the 2002 New Jersey National Slam Team. Gemineye would reaffirm his position atop the Slam circuit in New Jersey with a repeat performance earning him a second year as the Grand Slam Champion for 2003 and earning him another spot on the 2003 New Jersey National Slam Team. You can catch Gemineyes most recent television appearance on the third, fourth, and fifth seasons of HBOs Russell Simmons presents Def Poetry.
To see Gemineye and other artists perform at the Peace Jam, sign up for the evening social activities when registering for the Jaina conference.
Watch out Rachel Ray, here comes Dr. Jain
Our good friend and mentor Dr. Manoj Jain definitely knows a thing or two about healthy cooking. About two years ago he realized a booked titled Jain Food: Compassionate and Healthy Cooking with none other than Tarla Dalal.
What we didn’t know, until today, is that Dr. Jain posted some YouTube videos of him making some of his delicious recipes. Dr. Jain with the technology skills!
Here’s one of our favorites, Tofu Sabji:
- More fantastic recipes from Dr. Manoj Jain here
- You can also check out his there books here
Religious Cartoons and Power Rangers
Religious cartoons for kids are becoming all the more popular. My dad’s side of the family comes from a Hindu background and their children are always watching some new cartoon about Krishna or Hanuman. Not just in India, but also here in the states.
The videos are great productions. The sound, animation and story lines are always stellar. And I know the kids are enjoying them because they are constantly dragging their DVDs every where they go.
As impressive as they are, I also feel that they are spiritually weak. The “bad guys” are always clearly bad. They are always portrayed as demons. The gods or saints always have some special power and are hardly ever shown experiencing any significant human challenges. Everything is black and white - there is no grey room at all.
All the action makes for great entertainment, but I’m wondering if the kids are really learning much. In fact I think they are just left with a more romanticized version of who “bhagwan” is rather than what he/she stood for.
The Jain and Buddhist cartoons I’ve seen are a little bit better. Better as in they aren’t as void of spirituality. And, yes I know these videos are for kids. But I’m thinking, is there any real difference between these videos and turning on Power Rangers? All I’m saying is just because they are tagged “religious” videos doesn’t automatically make them a good thing.
I would say though, if a mother is planning turning on the TV for her child I’d much rather have her pop in one of these videos than the Disney Channel. Although my greatest preference would be to turn the TV off and encourage the kid to play. Same thing goes for the mother. It might do her well to turn off those Indian serials.
With the growth of technology and more individuals getting into animation I’m predicting we’ll see better quality videos coming out soon. Heck, maybe I’ll take on a project myself.
Here’s an example of a Jain cartoon I pulled from youtube.
Video: How to act at a Jain Temple
I’m loving the tunes and the animation style. The lyrics could use some help, but I think that’s how they hold it down in India.
Maybe the adults could learn something from this video too!
About Jain Diaries
Jain Diaries is a blog by YJA about Peace, Compassion, and having a good time. Written and edited by youth just like you. Enjoy!